Method and apparatus for receiving reference signals in support of flexible radio communication

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus include receiving a measurement configuration by higher layer signaling, where the higher layer signaling is above the physical layer. The measurement configuration includes at least information of frequency location of synchronization signals, a carrier frequency, and a maximum allowed measurement bandwidth. A measurement reference signal is then received based on the received measurement configuration, and a measurement based on the received measurement reference signal is performed.

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The present application relates generally to a method and apparatus forreceiving reference signals in support of flexible radio communicationin a communication network, and more particularly, to managing amultilevel approach for receiving reference signals, such as for celldetection, in support of an initial unconnected or an already connectedstate relative to the network.

BACKGROUND

Presently, user equipment (UE), such as wireless communication devices,communicate with other communication devices using wireless signals,such as within a network environment that can include one or more cellswithin which various communication connections with the network andother devices operating within the network can be supported. Networkenvironments often involve one or more sets of standards, which eachdefine various aspects of any communication connection being made whenusing the corresponding standard within the network environment. As newstandards, such as new radio access technology (NR), are being developedto support additional or extended capabilities through the developmentof a different set of operating parameters, the present inventors haverecognized that dynamic coexistence between the new standard and anypreexisting standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), UniversalMobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), and/or Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), couldbe considered in support of a progressive migration. This can includeinstances where the different standards are intended to operate withoverlapping bandwidths in the same block of spectrum.

For example, in LTE, synchronization signals are transmitted within thecenter 6 physical resource blocks (PRBs) of a transmission channelbandwidth, where a PRB consists of 12 subcarriers. While this can makeit easier to locate and identify the synchronization signals,restricting the location of the synchronization signals in apredetermined way with this level of specificity can make the systemless flexible in terms of introducing a new type of service, which mightotherwise beneficially employ different forms, such as forms that canincorporate different numerology sets. Strict adherence to a specificdetailed and predefined signaling structure can make a system lessflexible in terms of avoiding strong interference to a primarysynchronization signal and/or a secondary synchronization signal.Furthermore, this can make a system less flexible in terms of enablingshared spectrum access with other radio access technologies.

The present inventors have recognized that a multilevel approach forreceiving reference signals can be used to allow a more flexibleapproach for cell detection as part of initiating a communicationconnection and/or maintaining an ongoing communication connection with anetwork. Such a flexible multilevel approach can further be used tosupport dynamic coexistence between multiple types of communications inaccordance with both new and legacy communication standards for a moreprogressive migration to newer communication standards.

SUMMARY

Presently, user equipment, such as wireless communication devices,communicate with other communication devices using wireless signals.According to a possible embodiment, a user equipment can receive ameasurement configuration by higher layer signaling within acommunication network, where the higher layer signaling is above thephysical layer. The measurement configuration includes at leastinformation of frequency location of synchronization signals, a carrierfrequency, and a maximum allowed measurement bandwidth. The userequipment can receive a measurement reference signal based on thereceived measurement configuration. The user equipment can then performa measurement based on the received measurement reference signal.

According to another possible embodiment, a user equipment can include acontroller, which can manage the operation of the user equipmentincluding the operation of a transceiver that can receive a measurementconfiguration by higher layer signaling, where the higher layersignaling is above the physical layer, and a measurement referencesignal based on the received measurement configuration, wherein themeasurement configuration includes at least information of frequencylocation of synchronization signals, a carrier frequency, and a maximumallowed measurement bandwidth.

According to another possible embodiment, a communication network cansend a measurement configuration by higher layer signaling, where thehigher layer signaling is above the physical layer. The measurementconfiguration can include at least information of frequency location ofsynchronization signals, a carrier frequency, and a maximum allowedmeasurement bandwidth. The communication network can send a measurementreference signal based on the sent measurement configuration, which uponreceipt by a user equipment can be used by the user equipment to performa measurement based on the received measurement reference signal.

According to another possible embodiment, a communication network caninclude a controller, which can manage the operation of a transceiverthat can send a measurement configuration by higher layer signaling,where the higher layer signaling is above the physical layer, and ameasurement reference signal based on the sent measurementconfiguration, wherein the measurement configuration includes at leastinformation of frequency location of synchronization signals, a carrierfrequency, and a maximum allowed measurement bandwidth.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentapplication are evident from the following description of one or morepreferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network environment in whichat least some of the present disclosed embodiments can operate;

FIG. 2 is an overview of multiple communication regions in an exemplarycellular communication system;

FIG. 3 is a table of exemplary locations for primary and secondarysynchronization signals for different system bandwidths in at least oneexemplary network;

FIG. 4 is an example of information elements for a master informationblock;

FIG. 5 is an example allocation in an exemplary frame across anavailable channel bandwidth of primary synchronization signal(PSS)/secondary synchronization signal (SSS), sub-band measurementreference signal (MRS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and widebandmeasurement reference signal (MRS) for at least three cells;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for receiving reference signals in support offlexible radio communication in a communication network, in accordancewith at least one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for receiving reference signals in support offlexible radio communication in a communication network, in accordancewith at least one embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is an example block diagram of an apparatus according to apossible embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

While the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be describedpresently preferred embodiments with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention andis not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsillustrated.

Embodiments provide a method and apparatus for receiving referencesignals in support of flexible radio communication including celldetection within a flexible radio communication system.

FIG. 1 is an example block diagram of a system 100 according to apossible embodiment. The system 100 can include a wireless communicationdevice 110, such as User Equipment (UE), a base station 120, such as anenhanced NodeB (eNB) or next generation NodeB (gNB), and a network 130.The wireless communication device 110 can be a wireless terminal, aportable wireless communication device, a smartphone, a cellulartelephone, a flip phone, a personal digital assistant, a personalcomputer, a selective call receiver, a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer, or any other device that is capable of sending and receivingcommunication signals on a wireless network.

The network 130 can include any type of network that is capable ofsending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, thenetwork 130 can include a wireless communication network, a cellulartelephone network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)-based network,a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based network, an OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based network, a Long TermEvolution (LTE) network, a 5^(th) generation (5G) network, a 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP)-based network, a satellitecommunications network, a high altitude platform network, the Internet,and/or other communications networks.

In at least some instances, the network will provide coverage across ageographical area, where in at least some instances, the area ofcoverage will be divided into multiple regions, at least sometimesreferred to as cells. FIG. 2 is an overview of multiple communicationregions 202 in an exemplary cellular communication system 200. In manycellular communication networks, each of the multiple communicationregions is often associated with a particular base station 204. In somecases, more than one base station can support a particular communicationarea, such as in edge areas where regions may overlap. In some cases, aparticular base station can support one or more communication regions.In the illustrated embodiment, each particular base station 204 cansupport at least three regions 202, where the base station is positionedat a shared vertex of each of the three regions.

Still further, at least some of the regions 202 can be furthersubdivided into multiple still smaller regions, using one or more narrowbeams 206. An example of the further subdivision of at least one of theregions 202 is shown. Another example highlights the possibility that amore focused beam could be directed to coincide with the location of auser equipment 208. The user equipment 208 could similarly communicatewith the base station 204 via a similarly more focused beam with same ordifferent beamwidth. In order to enable greater flexibility in theformation of communication regions having varying sizes and shapes, thebase station and the user equipment can employ antenna arrays, havingmultiple radiating and reception elements, that together can be employedto create various transmission and reception profiles or beamformingpatterns. The corresponding size and shape of the different regions canoften have an impact on the ability of the network to reuse frequencieswhile supporting communication connections between the various wirelesscommunication devices located throughout the coverage area.

As noted previously, the present inventors have recognized that insupporting cell detection in a new radio access technology, that anydynamic coexistence between the new radio access technology and anypreexisting should be taken into account in order to support a moreprogressive migration. In addition to taking into account thepossibility of dynamic coexistence, it may be desirable for the networkto configure multiple numerology sets in a given carrier to providescheduling flexibility (e.g., supporting hybrid analog-digital or analogbeamforming with more number of symbols), to serve various userequipment with different speeds and/or to satisfy different servicerequirements (e.g., low latency, unlicensed band operation), andflexible time-frequency resource allocation of different numerologies. Anumerology comprises one or more of an OFDM/SC-FDMA subcarrier spacing,a cyclic prefix length, number of symbols comprising a slot,time-frequency portion bandwidth etc. Different numerology sets maydiffer in one or more of parameters or characteristics of a numerology.Although the cell might be able to configure multiple time-frequencyportions using different numerologies, it may be possible forsynchronization signals transmitted with a baseline (or reference)numerology to be shared by all numerology configurations. A baseline orreference numerology may be dependent on the carrier band such asreference numerology of 15 kHz OFDM/SC-FDMA subcarrier spacing for lowcarrier frequency band (such as below 6 GHz e.g., 2 GHz) and referencenumerology of 120 kHz OFDM/SC-FDMA subcarrier spacing for high carrierfrequency band (such as above 6 GHz, e.g., 28 GHz).

It also may be possible for cell detection in high frequency bands totake into account beamforming operation and/or repetition to obtain aproper coverage. Furthermore, in order to increase the area trafficcapacity, dense transmission and reception point (TRP) deployment may beneeded. The dense deployment is likely to require an increased number ofsupportable cell identities (IDs).

According to at least one embodiment, it is possible to increases thenumber of supportable cell IDs without increasing detection hypothesesby configuring multiple primary synchronization signal (PSS)/secondarysynchronization signal (SSS) resources, where a cell ID is derived fromcombination of a PSS/SSS time-frequency resource, a PSS index, and a SSSindex.

Flexibly placing synchronization signals in time-frequency radioresources is beneficial for dynamic coexistence between the new radioaccess technology (RAT) and legacy RATs, deployment in unlicensedspectrum bands, and flexible configuration of multiple numerology setswithin a carrier.

Two step measurement procedures are employed to provide necessaryflexibility on system configuration (e.g. number of operating beams) andyet to keep cell detection complexity low: first, narrow bandmeasurement without beam differentiation and physical broadcast channel(PBCH) decoding for candidate cells, and secondly, wideband beammeasurement according to the indicated system configuration.

Multiple possible locations for PSS/SSS transmission are defined, and acell ID is determined by combination of PSS/SSS and PSS/SSS location. Inthis way, a larger number of cell IDs are supported, without increasingthe number of sequences for synchronization signals. For deploymentscenarios with strong co-channel interference, such as macro-to-picointer-cell interference, strong interference on synchronization signalscan be avoided by coordinating PSS/SSS frequency resources amongneighbor cells. Since the new possible locations for PSS/SSStransmission are aligned with frequency raster, cell detectioncomplexity in the proposed scheme can be comparable to LTE celldetection, if PSS/SSS of neighbor cells are transmitted on the sameradio resource.

PSS/SSS, sub-band mobility measurement reference signals (MRS), andphysical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying a master information block(MIB) message are transmitted on the same sub-band, for example a subsetof available subcarriers, and relative timing of MRS and PBCH withrespect to PSS/SSS are pre-configured and known to both UE andtransmission and reception point (TRP). For cell detection, UE canperform the following steps:

-   -   1. Perform frequency scanning over frequency raster.    -   2. Detect PSS/SSS on one or more frequencies, and identify a        partial cell ID from each detected PSS/SSS.        -   a. Such as, partial cell ID=3*I_(SSS)+I_(PSS), where I_(PSS)            (=0, 1, 2) is a PSS index and I_(SSS) (=0, 1, . . . , 167            for example) is an SSS index.    -   3. Based on the identified partial cell ID, a UE can determine        sub-band measurement reference signal (MRS) resources, for        example a set of resource elements within the sub-band, and        performs sub-band mobility measurement.        -   a. At this point, a UE does not necessarily have knowledge            on the number of TRP transmit (Tx) beams or the number of            simultaneous beams, for example, corresponding to different            antenna sub-arrays and/or polarization or the number of            transmit and receive units (TXRU). Instead, a UE simply            measures the total (or average) reference signal received            power (RSRP) without distinguishing different Tx beams of            TRP, and decides whether or not to decode PBCH by ranking            RSRP measurements and/or comparing the RSRP measurements            with a threshold RSRP value. For example, a UE may decode            PBCHs for the cells with the two highest RSRP measurements            whose RSRP values are above the threshold RSRP value.            Sub-band MRS may also be used for PBCH decoding, if sub-band            MRS and PBCH are transmitted with the same set of Tx beams,            that is, a UE can assume the same precoding/beamforming is            used for sub-band MRS and PBCH.    -   4. A UE can obtain information on frequency location of PSS/SSS        within the system bandwidth via PBCH decoding, and identify a        full cell ID.        -   a. Subcarrier indices corresponding to frequency raster can            be predetermined for a given frequency raster value, such as            100 KHz, as shown in FIG. 3. Among them, possible locations            for PSS/SSS transmission within the system bandwidth can be            determined, based on the number of subcarriers which PSS/SSS            occupy. The possible locations may be further down-selected            to reduce the number of signaling bits in a master            information block (MIB). The set of subcarrier indices            corresponding to the selected frequency raster (for example,            center of PSS/SSS transmission or offset of the PSS/SSS in            terms of number of resource blocks or number of subcarriers)            for a given system bandwidth may be known to both UE and            TRP. A resource block comprises a plurality of subcarriers            such as 12 subcarriers. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the            maximum number of possible locations (center of PSS/SSS            transmission) is 57, where a subcarrier spacing is assumed            to be 15 KHz, and subcarrier indices which can be center of            PSS/SSS transmission include all of the identified            subcarrier indices included between the brackets, which            excludes the first two and the last two indices in each of            the respective lists, assuming that PSS/SSS, sub-band MRS,            and PBCH are transmitted within 70 consecutive subcarriers.            With a maximum number of 57 locations, in such an example, 6            bits in the MIB can indicate all the possible locations for            all the supported system bandwidths.        -   b. In one embodiment, the full cell ID can be determined as            follows:            -   i. Cell ID=(S_(I))mod(x)*504+3*I_(SSS)+I_(PSS), where                S_(I) is an index for the set of subcarrier indices                corresponding to possible PSS/SSS center locations, with                S_(I)=0, 1, 2, . . . , N−1 (N: the number of possible                PSS/SSS locations for a given system bandwidth), and x                is an integer such as 1 or 4.            -   ii. In high frequency bands, a given cell may transmit                PSS/SSS, sub-band MRS, and PBCH on multiple locations                with same or different sets of Tx beams. For example, a                UE as part of its cell detection hypothesis can combine                received PSS/SSS on resources which may result in same                system ID (e.g. 4 resources SI=0, 4, 8, 12), for                detection.        -   c. In FIG. 4, examplary information elements (IEs) for a MIB            are shown. The IE ‘dl-Bandwidth’ indicates the system            bandwidth in terms of the number of PRBs, where each PRB            consists of 10 subcarriers. The IE            ‘IndexForSynchSignalLocation’ represents an index for the            selected PSS/SSS location. A UE can identify the subcarrier            index corresponding to the center of PSS/SSS transmission            from two IEs, ‘dl-Bandwidth’ and            ‘IndexForSynchSignalLocation’. In the UE memory, a UE may            store only the lowest subcarrier index (K_(min)) among all            the possible PSS/SSS center locations for each system            bandwidth, and may identify the subcarrier index for the            center of PSS/SSS transmission as follows:            K _(min) +S _(I)*20    -   5. A UE obtains information on wideband beam measurement        configuration from PBCH decoding and performs wideband beam        measurement.        -   a. An MIB may carry information on the number of antenna            ports of wideband MRS.        -   b. A Wideband MRS location is determined by the signaled            S_(I), ‘IndexForSynchSignalLocation’, such that wideband MRS            are transmitted on all the sub-bands which can result in the            same system ID as S_(I). For example, if (S_(I))mod(x)=0,            x=4, then wideband MRS are transmitted for locations            corresponding to S_(I)=0, 4, 8, 12, . . . . Wideband MRS may            occupy the resource partially in each sub-band.        -   c. In one embodiment, sub-band MRS is a part of wideband            MRS.

According to a further embodiment, such as for connected mode UEs, themeasurement configuration may include frequency information when thesynchronization signals are transmitted, such as the information element(IE) ‘IndexForSynchSignalLocation’, carrier frequency information, andbandwidth information, for example maximum allowed measurementbandwidth. Furthermore, the wideband beam measurement configuration,such as the information element (IE) ‘maxNumberOfAntennaPorts’corresponding to the maximum number of antenna ports for the widebandMRS, can be signaled.

The UE can identify cell ID from PSS/SSS detection and frequencyinformation of PSS/SSS indicated in the measurement configuration. Thus,the connected mode UE does not need to decode PBCH to obtain a full cellID.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example allocation in an exemplary frame 500across an available channel bandwidth of primary synchronization signal(PSS)/secondary synchronization signal (SSS), sub-band measurementreference signal (MRS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and widebandmeasurement reference signal (MRS) for at least three cells. In theillustrated embodiment, the gray areas 502 correspond to allocationsassociated with cell 1, the areas 504 highlighted by ascending diagonallines correspond to allocations associated with cell 2, and the areas506 highlighted by cross hatching correspond to allocations associatedwith cell 3. Furthermore, the more square shaped allocations 508 in eachinstance represents a proposed allocation for PSS/SSS, sub-band MRS, andPBCH. The vertical rectangle shaped allocations 510 in each instancerepresents a proposed allocation for wideband MRS for each of therespective cells. Each interval identified by the symbol, T_(S),represents a single subframe duration.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram 600 for receiving reference signals insupport of flexible radio communication in a communication network, inaccordance with at least one embodiment. The flow diagram illustratesthe operation of a wireless communication device, such as the UE 110,according to at least one possible embodiment. At 602, one or morefrequencies within a predetermined spectrum space designated for use bythe communication network is scanned. In some instances, performing 604a scanning of one or more frequencies within a predetermined spectrumspace can include performing frequency scanning over a frequency raster.

Synchronization signals on a first frequency of the scanned one or morefrequencies is detected 606, and a determination is made of a firstidentity value from the detected synchronization signals. In at leastsome instances, the synchronization signals can include one or more ofprimary synchronization signals and secondary synchronization signals608. In some of these instances, the first identity value can bedetermined based upon an index of the detected primary synchronizationsignals and an index of the detected secondary synchronization signals610.

A first reference signal is received 612, based on the determined firstidentity value. In at least some instances, a first reference signalresource can be determined 614, based on the determined first identityvalue, and the first reference signal can be received in the firstreference signal resource. In at least some instances, the firstreference signal can comprise a sub-band measurement reference signal616.

In some instances, a first mobility measurement can be performed usingthe first reference signal. In such an instance, based upon the firstmobility measurement, a determination can be made as to whether todecode the broadcast channel, where the broadcast channel can be aphysical broadcast channel.

At step 618, a broadcast channel is received. The broadcast channel isthen decoded based upon the received first reference signal, and asecond identity value is identified from the decoded broadcast channel620. In at least some instances, an associated system bandwidth can beidentified 622 from the decoded broadcast channel. In some of theseinstances, a frequency location of the synchronization signals withinthe associated system bandwidth can be identified 624, based on thesecond identity value.

A second reference signal is then received 626, based upon the firstidentity value and the second identity value. In at least someinstances, the second reference signal can include a widebandmeasurement reference signal 628.

In some instances, it can be further possible to determine an indicationof a number of antenna ports in the second reference signal, based uponthe decoded broadcast channel. In such an instance, a second mobilitymeasurement can be performed using the second reference signal for atleast one antenna port of the determined number of antenna ports.

Still further in some instances, a cell identification value can bedetermined, based upon the first identity value determined from thedetected synchronization signals, and the second identity valueidentified from the decoded broadcast channel 630.

The manner of receiving a first reference signal based on a determinedfirst identity value, in at least some instances can be consistent witha base line numerology that may be shared by all numerologyconfigurations including numerologies that may be consistent withanother and/or multiple standards. In turn this may allow a broadcastchannel to be received through which a second reference signal can bereceived based on a determined second identity value. By receiving asecond reference signal a still further resolving of a cell identity maybe possible, including instances where the further cell identity maytake into account a beamforming operation and/or repetition to obtainproper coverage.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram 700 for receiving reference signals insupport of flexible radio communication in a communication network, inaccordance with at least one embodiment. The flow diagram illustratesthe operation of a wireless communication device, such as the UE 110,according to at least one possible embodiment. At 702, a measurementconfiguration is received through higher layer signaling, where thehigher layer signaling is above the physical layer. In at least someinstances, receiving a measurement configuration through higher layersignaling can include the user equipment being in a connected moderelative to the communication network 704.

The measurement configuration can include at least information offrequency location of synchronization signals, a carrier frequency, anda maximum allowed measurement bandwidth 706. In at least some instances,the measurement configuration can further include an indication of anumber of antenna ports 708, where in at least some of these instances,a mobility measurement can be performed 710 using the measurementreference signal for at least one antenna port of the indicated numberof antenna ports.

At 712, a measurement reference signal is then received 712 based on thereceived measurement configuration. In at least some instances, thesynchronization signals can include one or more of primarysynchronization signals and secondary synchronization signals, and themeasurement reference signal can include at least the secondarysynchronization signals 714. A measurement, such as a mobilitymeasurement, can be performed 716, based on the received measurementreference signal.

It should be understood that, notwithstanding the particular steps asshown in the figures, a variety of additional or different steps can beperformed depending upon the embodiment, and one or more of theparticular steps can be rearranged, repeated or eliminated entirelydepending upon the embodiment. Also, some of the steps performed can berepeated on an ongoing or continuous basis simultaneously while othersteps are performed. Furthermore, different steps can be performed bydifferent elements or in a single element of the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 8 is an example block diagram of an apparatus 800, such as thewireless communication device 110, according to a possible embodiment.The apparatus 800 can include a housing 810, a controller 820 within thehousing 810, audio input and output circuitry 830 coupled to thecontroller 820, a display 840 coupled to the controller 820, atransceiver 850 coupled to the controller 820, an antenna 855 coupled tothe transceiver 850, a user interface 860 coupled to the controller 820,a memory 870 coupled to the controller 820, and a network interface 880coupled to the controller 820. The apparatus 800 can perform the methodsdescribed in all the embodiments

The display 840 can be a viewfinder, a liquid crystal display (LCD), alight emitting diode (LED) display, a plasma display, a projectiondisplay, a touch screen, or any other device that displays information.The transceiver 850 can include a transmitter and/or a receiver. Theaudio input and output circuitry 830 can include a microphone, aspeaker, a transducer, or any other audio input and output circuitry.The user interface 860 can include a keypad, a keyboard, buttons, atouch pad, a joystick, a touch screen display, another additionaldisplay, or any other device useful for providing an interface between auser and an electronic device. The network interface 880 can be aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port, an Ethernet port, an infraredtransmitter/receiver, an IEEE 1394 port, a WLAN transceiver, or anyother interface that can connect an apparatus to a network, device, orcomputer and that can transmit and receive data communication signals.The memory 870 can include a random access memory, a read only memory,an optical memory, a solid state memory, a flash memory, a removablememory, a hard drive, a cache, or any other memory that can be coupledto an apparatus.

The apparatus 800 or the controller 820 may implement any operatingsystem, such as Microsoft Windows®, UNIX®, or LINUX®, Android™, or anyother operating system. Apparatus operation software may be written inany programming language, such as C, C++, Java or Visual Basic, forexample. Apparatus software may also run on an application framework,such as, for example, a Java® framework, a .NET® framework, or any otherapplication framework. The software and/or the operating system may bestored in the memory 870 or elsewhere on the apparatus 800. Theapparatus 800 or the controller 820 may also use hardware to implementdisclosed operations. For example, the controller 820 may be anyprogrammable processor. Disclosed embodiments may also be implemented ona general-purpose or a special purpose computer, a programmedmicroprocessor or microprocessor, peripheral integrated circuitelements, an application-specific integrated circuit or other integratedcircuits, hardware/electronic logic circuits, such as a discrete elementcircuit, a programmable logic device, such as a programmable logicarray, field programmable gate-array, or the like. In general, thecontroller 820 may be any controller or processor device or devicescapable of operating an apparatus and implementing the disclosedembodiments. Some or all of the additional elements of the apparatus 800can also perform some or all of the operations of the disclosedembodiments.

The method of this disclosure can be implemented on a programmedprocessor. However, the controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also beimplemented on a general purpose or special purpose computer, aprogrammed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integratedcircuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logiccircuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device,or the like. In general, any device on which resides a finite statemachine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures maybe used to implement the processor functions of this disclosure.

While this disclosure has been described with specific embodimentsthereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example,various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, orsubstituted in the other embodiments. Also, all of the elements of eachfigure are not necessary for operation of the disclosed embodiments. Forexample, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodimentswould be enabled to make and use the teachings of the disclosure bysimply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly,embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to beillustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

In this document, relational terms such as “first,” “second,” and thelike may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from anotherentity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actualsuch relationship or order between such entities or actions. The phrase“at least one of,”” “at least one selected from the group of,” or “atleast one selected from” followed by a list is defined to mean one,some, or all, but not necessarily all of, the elements in the list. Theterms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “a,” “an,” or the like does not,without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element. Also, the term “another” is defined as at least a second ormore. The terms “including,” “having,” and the like, as used herein, aredefined as “comprising.” Furthermore, the background section is writtenas the inventor's own understanding of the context of some embodimentsat the time of filing and includes the inventor's own recognition of anyproblems with existing technologies and/or problems experienced in theinventor's own work.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in a communication network including atleast a first base station, the method comprising: determining for usewith a user equipment a measurement configuration, which includes atleast information on a frequency location of synchronization signals, acarrier frequency value, and a measurement bandwidth; transmitting themeasurement configuration to the user equipment by higher layersignaling, where the higher layer signaling is above the physical layer;transmitting one or more synchronization signals on the frequencylocation, from which a first identity value can be determined;transmitting to the user equipment a broadcast channel from which asecond identity value can be determined, the broadcast channel includinga first reference signal based on the first identity value; andtransmitting a second reference signal based on the first identityvalue, the second identity value, the frequency location ofsynchronization signals, the carrier frequency value, and themeasurement bandwidth.
 2. A method in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe second identity value is determinable by decoding the broadcastchannel based on the first reference signal.
 3. A method in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the second reference signal is a mobilitymeasurement reference signal, and the performed measurement is amobility measurement.
 4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein afirst reference signal resource is determinable based on the firstidentity value, and the first reference signal can be received in thefirst reference signal resource.
 5. A method in accordance with claim 1,wherein a second reference signal resource is determinable based on thefirst identity value, the second identity value, the carrier frequencyvalue, and the measurement bandwidth, and the second reference signalcan be received in the second reference signal resource.
 6. A method inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the frequency location ofsynchronization signals included in the measurement configuration is afrequency value in a frequency raster.
 7. A method in accordance withclaim 1, wherein the synchronization signals include one or more ofprimary synchronization signals and secondary synchronization signals.8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first identity valueis determinable, based upon an index of the detected primarysynchronization signals and an index of the detected secondarysynchronization signals.
 9. A method in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe first reference signal comprises a sub-band reference signal.
 10. Amethod in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second reference signalcomprises a wideband reference signal.
 11. A method in accordance withclaim 1, wherein the broadcast channel is a physical broadcast channel.12. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising transmittingan indication of a number of antenna ports for the second referencesignal.
 13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein themeasurement uses the second reference signal for at least one antennaport of the indicated number of antenna ports.
 14. A method inaccordance with claim 1, wherein transmitting a measurementconfiguration by higher layer signaling includes transmitting themeasurement configuration to the user equipment being in a connectedmode relative to the communication network.
 15. A method in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the communication network further includes asecond base station, where the measurement configuration is transmittedby the first base station, and the one or more synchronization signals,the broadcast channel and the second reference signal are transmitted bythe second base station.
 16. A network entity in a communicationnetwork, the network entity comprising: a controller that determines foruse with a user equipment a measurement configuration, which includes atleast information on a frequency location of synchronization signals, acarrier frequency value, and a measurement bandwidth; and a transceiverthat transmits the measurement configuration to the user equipment byhigher layer signaling, where the higher layer signaling is above thephysical layer; wherein one or more synchronization signals on thefrequency location are transmitted, from which a first identity valuecan be determined; wherein a broadcast channel is transmitted to theuser equipment from which a second identity value can be determined, thebroadcast channel including a first reference signal based on the firstidentity value; and wherein a second reference signal is transmitted,the second reference signal being based on the first identity value, thesecond identity value, the frequency location of synchronizationsignals, the carrier frequency value, and the measurement bandwidth. 17.A network entity in accordance with claim 16, wherein the secondidentity value is determinable by decoding the broadcast channel basedon the first reference signal.
 18. A network entity in accordance withclaim 16, wherein the second reference signal is a mobility measurementreference signal, and the performed measurement is a mobilitymeasurement.
 19. A network entity in accordance with claim 16, wherein afirst reference signal resource is determinable based on the firstidentity value; and the first reference signal can be received in thefirst reference signal resource.
 20. A network entity in accordance withclaim 16, wherein a second reference signal resource is determinablebased on the first identity value, the second identity value, thecarrier frequency value, and the measurement bandwidth, and the secondreference signal can be received in the second reference signalresource.
 21. A network entity in accordance with claim 16, wherein thefrequency location of synchronization signals included in themeasurement configuration is a frequency value in a frequency raster.22. A network entity in accordance with claim 16, wherein thecommunication network further includes an additional network entity,where the one or more synchronization signals, the broadcast channel andthe second reference signal are transmitted by the additional networkentity.